PARIS — The Netherlands signed a contract to buy 46 Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks from French-German defense firm KNDS for more than €1 billion (US$1.1 billion), following through on a plan to re-establish a heavy armor component for its land forces.
The Dutch are buying the tanks from KNDS Deutschland through the framework contract established by Germany’s Bundeswehr equipment office, with an option for an additional six tanks, according to statements from the Ministry of Defense and KNDS on Wednesday. The first tank will be handed over in 2028, with deliveries finalized in 2031, according to the Netherlands.
“With the current threat of large-scale conflict, the tank is an indispensable tool,” Dutch State Secretary for Defence Gijs Tuinman said. “A force that, combined with smart tactics, is difficult to stop. The Leopard remains the king of the battlefield.”
The Dutch disbanded their last tank battalions in 2011 during an era of defense cuts, selling their remaining Leopard 2A6 tanks to Finland in 2014. The Netherlands have been leasing 2A6 tanks from Germany since 2015, providing one of the four companies in the mixed German-Dutch 414 Tank Battalion based at Germany’s Bergen-Hohne military training area.
The new fully Dutch battalion will remain based at Bergen-Hohne, where the Dutch says there is enough space for realistic training, something that is lacking in the Netherlands, one of Europe’s most densely populated countries.
The Leopard 2 is used by 15 European countries, according to KNDS. The Netherlands said the fact that other countries such as Lithuania, Norway and Sweden have ordered the Leopard makes international cooperation easier.
The Leopard is “the best tank available,” Tuinman said, describing the tracked vehicle as “pure combat power,” with advanced systems and sensors creating a unit with “formidable firepower.”
The 2A8 features significant improvements compared to the version operated previously by the Dutch, with an improved barrel, better protection against improvised explosive devices, superior sensors, active protection and an upgraded transmission, according to the ministry.
The 2A8 version of the Leopard will be fitted with an active protection system, the MoD said, without providing details. In Germany’s case, that’s the EuroTrophy system developed by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and designed as a hard-kill measure against anti-tank missiles.
The Dutch plan to include an unmanned component in the future tank battalion, which will still have about 500 troops, according to the ministry. The Netherlands will decide in 2027 whether to exercise the option for an additional six tanks.
The total budget, including spare parts, specialized tools, factory training and documentation amounts to between €1 billion and €2.5 billion, the Dutch MoD said. The Netherlands is also buying four Leopard 2A8 driver training vehicles.
The Netherlands had announced its tank-buying plans in September, as part of increased defense spending, providing details on the future tank fleet the next month. The country increased its 2025 defense budget to €22 billion from €21.4 billion last year, with plans to go to around €24 billion a year.
The Netherlands also signed a contract for Saab’s Carl Gustav M4 anti-tank weapon, with first deliveries planned by the end of this year and continuing through to 2028. The M4 will replace the Panzerfaust-3 in service with the Dutch forces, which the MoD says has a maximum range of 600 meters and has become obsolete.
Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.
